Cold Blue Edge
by zero0000
Summary: Uzumaki Naruto finds himself the linchpin that allowed the continued existence of an elite clan. Now all he has to worry about is surviving the political power plays that will be sure to follow...Rated for safety. Rewrite of Cold Blue Metal
1. Prologue: Enter the Boy

Cold Blue Edge

**Cold Blue Edge**

A rewrite of Cold Blue Metal

Fanfiction by zero0000

Original concept by Masahishi Kishimoto

_Author's note: I realize that a lot of people are going to be very disappointed that the original storyline had changed so much. But, certain changes in the canon storyline made a lot of possibilities all the more plausible in a fanfic, also giving me far more leeway to explore the motivations of several factions in Konoha's political environment. Also, I feel that there are many more ways for me to use my specific writing style (which I had managed to polish a bit during the original Cold Blue Metal storyline) would be better expressed with a rewrite. _

_So, unfortunately for my readers, this chapter is an official notice of sorts discontinuing the original storyline for Cold Blue Metal. Instead, I hope you guys will learn to love this fic as much as you did the first incarnation, and keep reading it enough to at least match the other fic. Also? Spoiler warnings up to chapter 398. _

_This is zero0000 signing on. _

"_First rule when you're dealing with the devil…don't."_

_-_ Col. Frank Madden, _Solo_

* * *

**Prologue: Enter the Boy**

_1600hh, Uchiha Clan Ancestral Sakura Grove_

_Nakano River, Village of Konoha_

Shisui looked at his friend and kinsman, his expression incredulous. "Itachi," he began, mentally calming his voice so he doesn't sound as incensed as he knew he was. "Are you seriously going along with this? I mean, there are so many reasons why you should just say no--"

"_Niisan_, I already said yes."

The older ninja huffed. He hated it when the brat (not so much of it now though) called him that. Itachi almost smirked, amusement dancing in his almost onyx eyes. "The kid has the potential to be something great," Itachi said, making room for his cousin to sit down beside him under the _sakura_ tree. "I really don't see the gravity of why the council even insisted I say no to an assignment the Hokage himself gave me."

"What the Hokage did was saddle you to a demon for six years."

"You don't know that for sure," Itachi countered. "I've seen the seals. I read the text. Yondaime-sama was a genius of the highest caliber. Perhaps not even I can do any better with his _fuuin_-work."

"Still, the demon--"

"The child is not the demon and the demon is not the child," the other said, eyes already narrowing in irritation. "The design was a master work. Do you understand Shisui? It was practically a work of art. The greatest seal created by the greatest seal master this village has ever seen. I mean come on. Even Sandaime-sama spent four years studying the _fuuin_ created the night of October the tenth."

Shisui sighed, knowing that the fight was over before it had truly begun. They had spent most of the morning in their usual spot close to the Nakano River, by the _sakura_ grove one of their distant uncles had planted there with several elders of the clan decades before. He should have known his younger cousin had already reached a decision. Shaking his head, he took a sip from his cup of tea, warmed by that incessantly green thermos Itachi insisted on carrying around during these little outings. The other shinobi busied himself with some _onigiri_, eating them with small, almost effeminate, bites.

The weather was typical Konoha springtime, the balmy climate that month of May keeping the trees at their greenest, and the cherry blossoms danced in the wind as a light breeze blew past. Nakano river was right near the borders of Konoha's ancestral lands, given to the clan when the village was founded. Behind the pristine beauty of this place was the site of several bloody battles almost a century ago. Bloody wars which shaped the course of history for years to come. It was oddly surprising how such a thing of beauty sprung up from such a place of horror, but the Uchiha could only shrug and say "such is the history of all shinobi of the Leaf. One must bloom or die to make others bloom."

They spent their time here on days off, a few hours at a time, just enough to get some measure of distraction from the lives they led. Conversation stopped for a few more minutes while the pair finished their snacks. It was Shisui who broke the silence first.

"So are you ok with this?"

"Why bother asking me? You've obviously made up your mind already."

Itachi gave him a look of disdain, but said nothing in return. Headstrong and independent, Uchiha Itachi may be, but this side of him that desperately sought approval was well hidden to other people from inside the clan. Shisui admitted that he wasn't the ninja his kinsman was, and so the reason for their close knit relationship was always a bit of a puzzle for him.

The glaring disparity between the two young men was obvious at first glance. Uchiha Itachi at fourteen was younger by three years, and inherited the aristocratic and somewhat feminine features that his mother (and once upon a time, his father) bestowed upon him from her side of the gene pool. He tended to be very graceful yet economical in his movements, and his speech patterns, when faced with the general public in any case, tended to be concise and to the point.

The older shinobi Shisui, who came from a minor branch of the clan, had none of the pressures of being the heir to Konoha's premiere fighting family. This led him to develop a personality that was as laid back as an Uchiha would dare to be, yet his own eyes would turn calculating when faced with serious matters. His facial features tended to look like a charcoal sketch of an aristocrat, lips a little bit thick, eyes that seemed a bit more shadowed, and the shape of the head a bit more squarish and gruff.

The older ninja brushed his hair away from his face with his right hand and sighed. "There's still something that bothers me though," Shisui admitted. "I have a hard time seeing you as a teacher. How in the name of the Heavenly Empress Amaterasu would you even pull off something like that?" Itachi snorted, a gesture that was so out of character for even this casual instance.

"Teaching courses are mandatory upon entry to jounin."

"You skipped jounin level remember, Itachi-taicho?"

"Technically, ANBU is jounin-equivalent. We do have _some_ teaching courses there too."

Shisui just shook his head. "I pity the poor brat if this is the kind of teacher he's going to be stuck with. Might has well leave him to the ministrations of those bastards who keep beating him up at that orphanage."

"Thanks for the vote of confidence, _niisan_," Itachi said in a flat monotone that to him translated as sarcasm. "I'll be sure to enjoy rubbing your face in it when the kid ends up better than what that damn Danzou wanted him to be." Shisui whipped his head towards the younger man so fast it was surprising he didn't break his own neck.

"Wait a second, you never said anything about Danzou arranging this agreement."

"Yes, what of it?"

"What of it?!" Shisui exclaimed. "The man's backing that extremist wing of the ANBU! ROOT of the Tree of Konoha my ass! I can't believe you don't even know that! You're a goddamn ANBU captain for crying out loud!"

Itachi leaned back against the tree, his eyes gazing into the distance. "I had to make a deal," he said after a moment's silence. "They know about the clan's intentions."

Shisui's blood ran cold. That meant only one thing. "They know?" he managed to stammer. "How in hell do they know?" The younger man looked at him.

"They wanted me to carry out the execution," Itachi began, his gut twisting with the almost betrayal that he would have had to commit otherwise. "It was supposed to be a black ops mission approved by the Hokage and the Village Council. Eyes only, no written documentation. All the orders were orally given. The entire Uchiha clan would be executed by myself and one unnamed individual that would have made his presence known the same night. I would have fled and declared myself a missing nin, the only evidence of such a mission hidden deep within the memories of four Kage-level shinobi and myself." Black eyes met black as the most crushing part of the revelation was announced.

"You would have been the first to die, Shisui-niisan."

The gears in the other man's head spun frantically. How had the council known? They had been so circumspect. His own position in the vanguard of the force that would have assassinated the Hokage and the two ruling councilors would have made him the first and most logical target to take out in preventing the Uchiha insurrection. He was still in such a state of internal panic that Shisui barely noticed his cousin's hand shaking him by the shoulder.

"Cousin," Itachi barked. "You're safe. I made the deal to teach Uzumaki Naruto so the execution would not have to be carried out. But the clan is still under heavy guard so I would advise canceling any immediate moves on the family's part. Use whatever delaying tactics you can until father and the rest become discouraged enough to give up on their idea. So long as we don't make any sudden moves the Council will hold to its word and not issue the order for the family's termination."

"H-h-how…"

"Father is not as subtle as he thinks he is."

Shisui clenched and unclenched his fists. Years of planning….wasted! How in the hell did they find out about it!? He raged internally that he would have to leak into their intelligence networks that parts of the plan had been found out. Hopefully within the next few weeks he'd be able to set things in motion to stop the plans for the coup d'etat indefinitely.

Perhaps permanently even.

"The terms of the deal are this," Itachi began again in his lecturing tone. "I, Uchiha Itachi, will teach one Uzumaki Naruto, _jinchuuriki_ and prison warden of the greatest demon lord the planet has ever seen, to become a true weapon in every sense of the world. Uzumaki-kun will be trained as a living coercive force, a security measure that's supposed to be treated somewhat like a secret weapon as they did with that boy Gaara in Suna or that woman Nii Yugito in Kumo."

"In return for at least four years of ANBU-class training, the Uchiha execution orders will be rescinded indefinitely until such time as the clan becomes far to flagrant in their attempts for a rebellion which would seek to undermine present political authority in the village," he ended, speaking the words as if he was reading from a contract. Verbal, obviously. There was no way such a mission would even be on a written document unless it was locked away deep in the ANBU barracks.

Which, in retrospect, it probably was.

Shisui pursed his lips, thinking into the words as deeply as he could. "Very well," he said after a fashion. "I guess there's no escaping this particular fate is there?"

"No there isn't."

"So, when are you planning on telling the brat?"

"This afternoon actually. You want to come with?"

"No, I think I'll be washing my hair." A snort.

"Dumbass. A no would have been enough."

* * *

The orphanage obviously had seen better days. The paint was cracking on the outer walls and most of the facility was giving out the effect that everything was repaired with too few materials and not enough funds. Everywhere he looked there were children running around with obviously second-hand toys and ill-fitting clothing. The children looked undernourished, each one of them shorter than they should be and thinner than most children their age. The jounin breezed past them with the miniature crowd parted like the Red Sea. It wasn't everyday they saw an honest-to-kami ninja in the compound.

The person at the front desk adjusted his glasses and looked upon him impassively. Morita Akio had been expecting shinobi escort to take the damn demon brat away from them once and for all. He directed the young man to the shared ward, not even bothering to pull away the two older boys who had been fighting with the undersized blond for one of the better toys in the playpen. Morita took away the little wooden sailboat and slapped all three children in the backs of their heads. Not even bothering to acknowledge their yelps of pain, he turned back to the ninja beside him.

"The blond there is young Naruto," the receptionist said. "He's the one you want."

The jounin nodded. He looked at the young boy and asked "did you pack your things?"

"Yes."

"Good."

With that, the ninja turned and walked away, without even telling the little tike to follow him. A few minutes before he was out of the doors, he heard hurried steps and a bit of hard breathing as Uzumaki Naruto ran to catch up. Itachi's stride didn't change in the slightest, and the little boy had to struggle to keep up. The teen barely glanced at him for a moment before he started down the streets to the ANBU training barracks, the one facility the fighting force had that was somewhere near public view. It took fifteen minutes to reach the facility, but once they were there, even the childish naivete the little blonde orphan had failed to protect him from the sheer intimidation factor the main building possessed.

The damn thing was built like a fortress. Armored plate glass windows resistant to a class A Katon jutsu and at least a class C explosive note. Chakra-conducive steel mesh layered in between two plates of armored glass to redirect the force of any _ninpo_, _fuuin_-reinforced concrete walls decorating all three stories of the compound. The rear of the compound was dotted with various training fields, most of which were occupied by rows of cloth-masked recruits barely out of _chuunin_ rank. The drill masters were wearing porcelain masks, pieces of equipment these shit-green recruits would only get to wear once they've passed training. In Konoha, only 2 did, but that little portion of nearly a hundred recruits culled from all active teams per year all became the best ninja the Leaf could ever produced.

The lettering on the building was written on partially raised kanji painted the same color as the walls, so as to not be visible from a distance. _Ansatsu Senjutsu Tokushu Butai_, the Special Tactics and Assassination Squad. Even up close it was hard to see unless you knew what you were looking for, and Naruto was surprised it took being ten feet from the facility's open doors for him to even notice the writing there.

The six year old let himself be led to the second floor, to a room with double bunk beds that looked somewhat similar to his own orphanage ward, if a bit more Spartan and better kept. The ninja didn't even speak, just motioned with a quick flick of his head to an empty bunk as if to confirm that the boy now owns it. "You'll be issued a uniform after a few days," the ninja said. "We'll probably have to requisition some training clothing from civilian establishments before then."

"Do you have any questions Uzumaki-san?"

"Well…what am I doing here?" the boy asked tentatively.

The teenager paused, not in the least surprised as to why the child hadn't been told anything. He was only about Sasuke's age after all, so he would have no idea what he was even doing in the ANBU training facility. Reaching into his pouch, he pulled out a crisp new scroll and unrolled it, reading it with a monotone voice. "By special dispensation of the Sandaime Hokage this May 14th, the twenty-sixth year of the Sandaime's reign in the Village of Konoha, the bearer of this document, Uchiha Itachi has been granted the right to inform Uzumaki Naruto about the truth of his heritage, superseding the laws of secrecy and all of its bylaws, passed on October the 11th, twentieth year of the Sandaime's reign in the Village of Konoha."

"Ano, shinobi-san, what does all of this mean?"

The teen rolled up the scroll and sat down in a bunk in front of the blond. "What this means Naruto-san," The Uchiha scion said in a placating tone. "Is that I am now entitled, by powers of this document, to tell you a secret which in other situations would have given the Military Police or the highest levels of shinobi authority to kill me for breaking a law passed when you were not even two days old. Did your headmaster and the teachers at the orphanage ever tell you the story of the defeat of the Kyuubi no Kitsune?"

"Yeah Uchiha-san!" Naruto yelled excitedly, making the ANBU captain flinch. "It's part of the reason why I want to become Hokage! So that I can use cool ninjutsu to protect the village!"

"The story you were told ended with the Yondaime killing the demon lord just as he gave his last breaths," Itachi said, and at Naruto's questioning look, continued with "but the truth is far more than just that."

"One cannot kill a being of malevolence and chakra. One cannot deal death to something not held in its jurisdiction. Instead of killing it the Yondaime was only able to succeed to do one thing and one thing alone. Its defeat was assured in the end, yes. But the method with which the Yondaime dealt that defeat is what we will be talking about today."

"I don't think I understand all those big words, mister."

"The truth of the matter is, Naruto, the demon fox was never truly killed."

The blond sat bolt upright. "What do you mean it wasn't killed?!" he yelled. "The stories said the Yondaime used a super ninjutsu and killed it just as he was dying! What do you mean he didn't do that! He was the Hokage!"

"The Hokage of the time is clearly the most powerful ninja in the village," Itachi conceded. "That much is true. But there is nothing that a mere human can do to truly hurt something that never was meant to die."

"Instead the demon fox was sealed by what was in effect an S-class fuuin seal, created successfully at the cost of the Yondaime's soul. The design of the seal was such that it could only be sealed inside a baby who's chakra coils had not formed yet, allowing for the more malevolent youki to be dispersed and integrated with the child's chakra as he grew up." He looked straight into Naruto's eyes as he said the next part.

"That child was you, Uzumaki Naruto."

The next fifteen minutes was spent explaining the reason for the Hokage's law, why the law was passed so people would not think of him as the demon fox and instead be thought of as a hero. Naruto's fists clenched, suddenly the reasons for why the adults at the orphanage treated him the way they did becoming all too clear. The whispered remarks of "demon" and "kyuubi," the way the headmaster never seemed to be willing to stop the bullies from picking on him and the way he only got the worst clothes the charity bin had for them. By the time the other boy was finished, he was almost shaking.

"But…I can't be the demon," Naruto insisted, as if it was hard to believe in it himself. "I just can't. It's not true isn't it? Uchiha-san?"

Itachi kept his face impassive. "No it's not," he said. "You are not the demon fox. Merely its vessel. A living prison of sorts. No, your job is to make sure it doesn't get out and make merry hell with anything and everything we hold dear in this village. But the people don't see that."

"Why not?"

"It's just how people are," came the reply. "They seek something that they can project their grief upon, something that they can bully and feel superior over. Its nothing you should take personally even though every fiber of your being says so."

Naruto seemed to think this over. _People think I'm the demon fox because he's sealed in me_¸ he reasoned to himself. _That's why they never really believe I'll ever be anything more than a demon in their eyes. Well, if that's what they think, then—_

"Then I'll win them over one person at a time!" he declared, pumping his fist. "I'll train and become strong and protect all of them when I become Hokage!"

It took all of Itachi's willpower not to crack a smile.

"Excellent. As soon as you're settled in, we can begin."

* * *

To: Sandaime Hokage

Village of Konohagakure

Re:Uzumaki Naruto

Hokage-sama,

He'll fit right in here.

Uchiha Itachi

Captain, ANBU Corps Unit 15


	2. Chapter One: Wave Country

Chapter One: Wave Country

**Chapter One: Wave Country**

"Team 7 mission has been compromised, Hokage-sama."

The aging Sarutobi frowned at the mission report sent to him, his hand going so far as to take his pipe from his mouth. A routine escort mission to Wave Country turning into this kind of disaster is a bit too much to take in for even Kakashi's genin. "Is there any other news from Kakashi, Pakkun?" the Hokage asked.

The pug blew out a sigh, his sight dropping to the surface of the desk he was currently sitting in. "Kakashi's really tired right now," the nin dog explained. "He used up a lot of his chakra fighting Momochi Zabuza of the Mist. There was a Hunter from _Kiri_ that came in a couple of minutes halfway into the fight, but he doesn't believe the man's legit."

"He's suspecting a possible extraction then?"

"Exactly, Hokage-sama."

To Sarutobi's right stood one of the more militant members of the ANBU elite, the leader of ROOT. Pakkun had come in contact with the man a couple of times back when his summoner was in the corps, but even then he could never shake the sense that the man was not to be trusted. _Giving him his own unit of ANBU was a mistake_, Kakashi once said. _It's like leaving the fox to guard the henhouse. Or, in Danzou's case, leaving the Kyuubi no Kitsune to guard it. _

Pakkun would, in the future, recognize how incredibly ironic those words would be.

"They are in need of reinforcements, Hokage," Danzou cut in. "An ANBU hunter team perhaps. With an Uchiha and an Inuzuka to lead the way. Perhaps a Branch House Hyuuga if Fugaku can't spare any from his clan." The leader of Konoha let out a long suffering sigh.

"You know as well as I do we can't spare much of our forces at this point Danzou-san."

"With all due respects, Hokage-sama, what do you propose we do?"

The man had a point, loath as Sarutobi was to admit it. Still, there was still the challenge of sending a small force of people to extract, possibly act as reinforcements to Team 7. One of Kakashi's genin is already suffering from poison damage, and if Pakkun's reports were to be believed, he would die within hours of the nin dog's arrival. No, not a medic nin then. That Yakushi boy would have been useful in this situation though…

"Hokage-sama," Danzou said, his voice cutting off the leader of Konoha's reverie. "We need a decision now."

"We shall extract Team 7 from their mission," Sarutobi began. "A single team will attract attention, especially if this Gatou is already aware of the presence of a Konoha cell in his territory. What we need is a single person who will be able to break in this territory with a lot of stealth and move around unnoticed." Danzou smiled, knowing in this remark he had the opening he wanted from the beginning.

"We could send the boy."

The Hokage's eyes narrowed. There was no need to even name the boy concerned. "He's just thirteen," Sarutobi reminded him. "Sending him alone on this kind of mission would be tantamount to us tempting the fates at this point."

"And yet he's a year younger than Uchiha Itachi when the boy first took on the mantle of an ANBU captain," came the counter. "He has gone on these kinds of missions before, and it will be a good chance to see if he has what it takes to make the rank."

"You know very well he's chuunin level at least."

"Yes, but do you not admit the council thinks otherwise?" Danzou said, coming in for the kill. "Even with the enormous success of the program they do not believe in the strength of his loyalty. There are still doubts whether we can fully trust such a weapon in these kinds of situations."

_A weapon indeed,_ Sarutobi mused. _Have we not learned from history at all?_

"So you are implying the council believes he will be nothing more than a rabid dog ready to turn on his masters?"

"I'm not just implying it Sarutobi," Danzou said, his single arm resting on the desk as he leaned closer to the face of his Hokage. "I'm saying it directly."

_Perhaps it was a mistake to keep him an unranked ninja for so long_, the Hokage thought in retrospect. He had wanted to make sure Itachi had managed to train Naruto-kun into something more than just a weapon, but a well adjusted ninja too. The ANBU corps were not as prejudiced as the general public, this he knew because they too had a reputation of being no more than mindless killers. Head cases of the highest levels.

And so Uzumaki Naruto, in the hands of the most feared ninja in the village, found an accepting family who did not look at him and see the demon fox, but another one saddled with the heavy burdens of duty. Oddly enough, it was the Branch House Hyuuga that felt more emphatic towards him, but that was something to be contemplated another day.

With a word of command, a porcelain masked ninja appeared from the shadows of the Hokage's office. "Send for Uzumaki Naruto," Sarutobi barked. "Tell him he has a mission. Solo this time."

xxxxxxx

To: Konoha Operative "Source Able"

Re: Mission Parameters

Your mission, should you choose to accept it, is to locate and retrieve Team Hatake Kakashi from a misclassified A-Rank operation. Sources have reported that one of the members of Jounin Hatake's genin team had already been slain, causing their own effectiveness to the mission to drop by a factor of 60.

This being said, Operative "Source Able" will be assigned to provide backup to finish the mission or to facilitate extraction, whichever appears to be the best course of action at the time.

Additional orders for Hatake Kakashi will also need to be delivered as a Class 2 Priority to mission success.

Good luck.

ANBU Command

Special Tactics Unit

xxxxxxx

Wave Country at its core was a quiet little fishing village. The rule of an oppressive corporation followed by its general look of shabbiness and deterioration would most fit a plotline to a schlock novel more than an actual existing community. The observer looked up from his mug of particularly weak tea. To his count there had been at least fifteen sightings of at least high-genin level ninja, possibly some low end chuunin. None of them seemed to be a threat, but their numbers do pose a quandary he'd rather not have to deal with.

The operative hadn't located the objectives yet, having only arrived in town during the morning. It was noon, and he was helping himself to a very simple fish dinner he had caught in the river and had someone cook for a small sum. Rice was not to be had; these villagers would not sell to a stranger when there was barely enough for all of them to feed themselves. While it was difficult at first to get information, he had narrowed down the locations of Team Hatake Kakashi to one of the houses outlying the municipal proper. The names Tazuna seemed to have been thrown around a lot, but the location wasn't being revealed by anyone, no matter how much he'd bribed them.

Thus the necessity of fishing for lunch. It was either the river catfish or travel rations, and those were worse than hospital food, the ninja reasoned.

"Damn that Gatou."

"He better have that money for us when he said he'd have it."

"Or so help me…"

The three tattooed samurai took a seat at a table right across the observer, seemingly intent on ignoring him completely. Each of them carried, based from the hilts, battered katanas, and they had the disheveled look of most of the mercenary figures the town had to offer. Possibly they were under the employ of the self-styled ruler of the island, this Gatou he kept hearing about. The news that Kakashi-san had managed to fight the Demon of the Mist Momochi Zabuza was not surprising, but the fact that he had managed to kill one of the Copy Ninja's genin was disheartening to say the least. Morale would be low for that squad to be sure, and he only had a maximum of 48 hours before the rest of the genin would collapse under the psychological stress of being so overmatched for what should have been a minor escort mission.

He dropped some coin on the table, making his way through the sparse crowds of the town before he decided on a whim to visit this bridge that the client was building. Tazuna was reported to be a drunkard of the worst sort, but his engineering skills were unmatched. Besides natural curiosity over what this bridge the Konoha squad was protecting would look like, it would give him a change to maybe catch a glimpse of one of the Konoha nin should they be guarding Tazuna from Gatou's mercenaries while at work.

He took some time to go the long way around to the bridge construction area, blending into the trees with a minor henge designed to bend the light around him just enough that he wasn't seen if no one was looking directly at his direction. After that it was strictly skill, dashing through the tree branches and leaping to the next handhold or foothold. The ninja took half an hour bobbing and weaving through the trees, taking special care not to be spotted by the dockworkers and the occasional ninja patrol. Gatou's forces seemed only to be formed out of either missing nin or samurai, neither of which had any qualms to kill for money despite their lack of refinement for their skills.

Finding a comfortable perch where he'd probably need to sit for hours, he settled in and reached for a pair of high power binoculars from a seal sown in the lining of his jacket. He was well within the central grove of trees, with just enough cover that he won't be seen but that he can see just fine. He'd need to spend some time here before he could even seek his comrades, and he'd best make the most of it.

xxxxxxx

The girl with shockingly pink hair turned her head, her gaze intent on a single spot amongst a grove of trees. "Sakura-san?" her guide asked, looking the same direction. "What is it?"

The kunoichi shook her head. "It's nothing," she said. "For a minute there I thought we were being watched." The guide seemed satisfied by that. Genin or no, the girl had been through training that sharpened her senses to perceive more than he could have. The death of one of the ninja had made them more alert as of late, and the kids had been taking turns watching either the bridge itself or Tazuna's household while their leader (sensei?) recovered from his battle with the Demon of the Mist. The simple fisherman, who was then working as a construction hand, thought it an amazing thing that the ninja, who could not have been older than he was, could fight to a standstill against Gatou's best and still have suffered nothing more than a case of fatigue. The guide was only glad it had been Sakura-san who was assigned to the bridge that day, not the surly-looking one who looked like he was out to prove something.

The guide only hoped Inari-chan would make him a bit more remorseful, he chuckled to himself.

Meanwhile Haruno Sakura had been scanning the area looking for potential threats. The death of the third member of Team 7, Rokubungi Gendo had dealt a hard lesson to the formerly vain and sometime ditzy kunoichi. No longer the fangirl who chased after her beloved Sasuke-kun, she was as focused as her many doubts would allow her in performing her duty. The Demon Brothers had killed the bespectacled genin, slashing him in the arm with poisoned claws before Kakashi-sensei had intervened, and when their own jounin-sensei was incapacitated by the battle with Zabuza, she had dearly thanked whatever kami was watching over them that the Mist hunter had managed to take the swordsman out with those senbon of his(/hers?).

"Remember Sakura," Kakashi-sensei had said. "Even if Momochi Zabuza had indeed been taken out, you still need to watch out for the rest of Gatou's squads. I won't be able to fight for at least one more day and you and Sasuke need to keep an eye on things while I can't."

So there Sakura was, keeping her eyes peeled for any and all threats, her right hand always straying by her equipment pouch when her conscious mind stops paying attention to the movement. She could see the looks in the workers' faces, almost perceptively hear their questioning thoughts at how in the world a skinny little girl was going to protect them. She knew because she had those thoughts herself.

"I wish Sasuke-kun were here with me," she whispered out loud.

"Where the hell is that bastard Tazuna?!"

Shaken from her reverie, the kunoichi looked to see three burly looking samurai stepping into the bridge construction area. The smallest one of them was at least head and shoulders taller than she was, and each thug was carrying dai-katana easily half her height. Sakura gulped, and tried to do some breathing exercises to calm down.

One of the samurai noticed her and turned a scarred face in her direction. "Hey lookie here," he said, chuckling as he walked. "A Konoha ninja. And a girl too." His two companions followed his gaze and leered in her direction as well, showing gaps in teeth that didn't look like they were brushed for a good long while.

"Wonder what she'll taste like," Scarface said, drawing his sword and licking along the edge, breaking the first layer of skin to give his mouth the taste of his blood. "I heard kunoichi got special seduction training before they become ninja. Hey girl, you wanna see if you got what it takes to please a man?"

Sakura drew a kunai once the other two started laughing. "You three don't want to come closer," she threatened, praying the tremor in her voice wasn't heard. "Even if you outnumber me two to one you won't defeat a Konoha ninja."

"You really think you can take us on?" Nose Ring snorted. "Ha! Don't make us laugh."

"You'll take us all on all right."

"Flat on your back like a good woman should."

"Think she'll taste like strawberries bro?"

"I don't care what she tastes like as long as she screams loud enough."

Sakura inched backwards with the kunai held in front of her, cursing inwardly at not practicing more taijutsu back at the Academy.

xxxxxxx

"Oh shit," the watcher said, sealing the high powered binoculars away and pulling up a mask that covered the lower half of his face. "Looks like it's time to go to work."

A cross-shaped seal and a burst of chakra was the only afterimage as he _Shunshin-_ed out with a flurry of leaves exploding behind him.

In the blink of an eye, blue eyes turned red….

xxxxxxx

The next thing Sakura knew, she was watching a battle unfold in front of her from one of the bridge's larger support structures. She blinked, remembering only that she came at the biggest one in the group with nothing more than blind faith and a newly-purchased kunai. A masked ninja stood perched right beside her, looking intently at the three samurai facing off against three other people who looked exactly like he did, half masks with green camouflage patterns and red-hooded jackets alike. Each one of the four identical ninja had a _chokuto_ strapped to their backs, the hilt just peaking out from inside a hole cut in the coats behind spiked blond hair. The stranger grinned at her and flashed a peace sign with a black-gloved right hand. A Konoha swirl adorned a plate on his right shoulder right where Sakura's line of sight was.

"Sorry about that Haruno Sakura-san," the shinobi said, his voice oddly chipper despite his feral red eyes. "I have a message for Hatake Kakashi, your jounin commander. Would you be so kind as to lead me to him?"

"But the samurai…"

"Them?" the ninja asked, glancing back at the three swordsmen facing off against his doppelgangers. "My clones will suffice."

"Clones? What—"

Before the twelve-year-old managed to finish her sentence, the three apparent clones burst into action, clashing swords with the samurai with lightning speed. Sparks flew from the blades as they fought, each ninja clone matching the samurai he was paired with move for move. It took five solid minutes of exchanging blows without landing a hit before the six leapt back and surveyed their opponents again.

"Huh," Scarface said. "You ninja ain't half bad. Guess you guys do know about the honor of wielding a sword in single combat after all. And here we were thinking you people wouldn't amount to much with proper blades in your hands." The other two stepped behind him warily, their own _katana_ held in defensive stances all around.

Sakura's companion let out a guffaw. She glanced at the other Leaf ninja form a ram seal as he muttered some words. "Idiot," he said. "We're ninja.

"Honor in combat falls in defeat to the cunning of cheating.

The clones eyes seemed to grin in anticipation as they rushed the swordsmen, raising their _chokuto_ up over their heads as they ran. The samurai also held their swords in an attack position, wanting to end the conflict with one massive blow to their enemy.

"**Ninpo:** **Bunshin Bakuha!**" (**Ninja Art: Exploding Clone!**)

Three simultaneous explosions shook the bridge, sending three scorched bodies up in the air. The workers at the bridge winced as the three landed in an undignified heap straight into the flowing river underneath them. With any luck the current should take them straight out into sea. Sakura's rescuer stood up from his perch and looked at the girl. "So," he said. "Would you take me to Kakashi-san now?"

xxxxxxx

Hatake Kakashi,

The bearer of these mission orders is Uzumaki Naruto, unranked ninja of Uchiha Itachi's Squad 15. He will be assigned to your squad as soon as he gets back home to Konoha with you and your students so he can be given his _genin_ team assignment allowing him to test for _chuunin_ rank. Should you lose one of your squad members he will be standing in as a replacement when your team takes the exam as well as assisting you in accomplishing the orders enclosed here. Please take him in as one of your subordinates while he hasn't made _chuunin_ yet.

Signed,

Capt. Uzuki Yuugao

Squad 22, ANBU Special Tactics

P.S.

Refer to him only as _Shinobi_-san (or –kun) until his official induction into your team. He'll not have a name you can disclose to anyone under _jounin_ rank until his _genin_ equivalency. Sorry, just standard procedure for ninja who don't officially exist. Get the picture?

xxxxxx

The letter was also signed with the Hokage's personal chop, undersigned with Uchiha Itachi's.

Kakashi let out a long-suffering sigh and wished he could just sleep in today. Squad 15 had always been one of his bigger headaches back when he was ANBU, but even then he had no doubt of the skills of any and all who passed through Itachi's hands. Sakura and the Uzumaki boy had walked in with these new mission orders from home and the Copy Ninja had known from the start that the boy meant trouble. At least, trouble in the form of more work.

"So, _Shinobi_-kun," Kakashi said smoothly. "Guess you just got yourself drafted for the mission." The boy scratched his head behind his head, his slitted red eyes grinning over the half mask he insisted on still wearing.

"Yes sir."

The commander of Team 7 scorched the letter between his fingers with an underpowered _Raiton_ _jutsu_ and let the ashes crumble in between his gloved hand. "Sakura," Kakashi said, getting up from the bed with a wince. "Assist _Shinobi_-kun with his things. He's backup sent directly from Konoha."

"_Hai_ Kakashi-sensei!"

The pair made it to the dining area of the house where the Uchiha boy was wrapping some bandages around his left arm. Sasuke turned his head up and asked "who are you?" The masked ninja grinned with his eyes.

"I'm a Konoha ninja."

The Uchiha snorted. "I can see that, moron," he said. "I was asking for your name."

"And that's a valid question, un."

Coal black eyes stared into blue, narrowing ever so slightly. "Hn," Sasuke finally said, a tone of disapproval lacing that one syllable as he continued wrapping the bandage around his arm. "Just be sure to stay out of my way, weirdo."

At Sasuke stalking off, the hooded ninja turned to Sakura and said "Was it something I said?" Sakura shook her head, hiding the smile that formed on her face.

"Why do you three even try?"

Sakura turned to see Inari, the bridge builder's grandchild standing in the doorway leading from the kitchens. His tiny fists were clenched and there was solid hate in his eyes…or was that disgust? "Gatou is too strong," the boy said. "He'll just send more and more of his forces and then you three will just die!"

The boy gave them a glare and stomped off, much in the manner of a child denied some sweets. Sakura broke the silence first. "I'm sorry," she said. "Tsunami-san said he lost his father some time ago. He seems to be a good boy otherwise."

"I can see that," the nameless ninja said. "Still, my purpose is to assist. If Kakashi-san's decision is to evacuate all of us here then I help you three out. If he chooses to complete the mission then we do." He nodded at his own words before continuing.

"So," he started. "Where would we find Sasuke-san at this hour?"

It took a five minute search before they found Sasuke training in the grove of trees not a hundred yards from the Tazuna household. Team 7 had been using this specific clearing to work on their tree walking exercise, and to work on the foundation for water walking. To Sasuke's chagrin, Sakura had managed to master an approximation of the tree walking skill and was about to move on to water walking once Kakashi had managed to raise her chakra levels high enough. The Uchiha had been doing well despite this small setback though: he had already reached two thirds of the tallest tree in the area.

The nameless ninja and the kunoichi of Team 7 waited until the raven-haired genin dropped to the ground from his latest attempt, kunai hanging loosely in his hands. "What do you two want?" Sasuke's words were short and to the point.

"Uchiha Sasuke-san?"

"That's me."

"I heard there was a third member of the team," masked ninja said. "Can either of you tell me where I can find him?" Sakura shifted her feet uneasily, but Sasuke was not so subtle.

"Rokubungi Gendo was useless and weak," Sasuke said, spitting into the ground before him. "It was a dumb move he pulled and he deserved to die for it. We don't need him to complete this mission."

"Sasuke-kun…"

"No Sakura," the Uchiha snarled. "You never should have coddled him. He was dead last in our class for a reason and we saw that reason in the field of battle not two days ago. If he had been more careful we wouldn't have lost him, the moron." Sasuke turned his coal black eyes at the hooded Leaf nin and said these words "we will accomplish this mission without him or die trying. Neither you nor the Hokage's orders will change my mind on this."

"I never said I was going to act as your retrieval unit," the other countered. "Whatever made you even think that?" Sasuke looked away.

"I thought _oniisan_ sent you…"

Sakura blinked. It was an old story with Sasuke, even back when he got in the academy. Uchiha Itachi was his idol, literally a god who walks in his point of view. The perfect shinobi, the peerless ninja. And ever so protective of his little _otouto_. Whereas his own father didn't know what to do with him, Itachi was always there. Even if it was just to help him work out the math on shuriken trajectories.

(It was a ninja school, but a school nonetheless.)

The blond ninja only nodded in response. "Well, it can't be helped then," he said. "But the decision truly lies with Kakashi-san. He'll have to decide to see this mission through, and if you two are willing, back you up." The two genin of Team 7 looked at him shock.

And that was the moment Team 7 met their unlikely third member. Though it would be a long time before they would ever find out that the mysterious red-eyed blond was the same person as one Uzumaki Naruto.

The genin had retired for the night after Sasuke went in, and the cryptic blond loosed his grip on his demon's _youki_ and turned slitted red eyes into blue again. He sighed. These _genin_ were such children at times. Shaking his head, he leapt for the trees and stared out into the skies.

It was a full moon that night.

Naruto was perched on a tree just above the Tazuna household, his calculating blue eyes staring into the distance. He didn't bother turning to his right when the Copy Ninja materialized beside him. "Naruto-kun," Kakashi said, his voice barely a whisper. The blond replied with the concise hand-talk of ANBU veterans.

"That name is a secret, _taicho_."

"So it seems," Kakashi replied with the same barely hidden hand signals. "I would wonder why you were chosen out of all the people in squad fifteen to assist us in this mission."

"I could ask the same question, Kakashi-san," the younger ninja countered. "Have you recovered from your chakra exhaustion yet?"

"Yes. There is little we can accomplish in this nation now besides possibly attempting an assassination on Gatou himself should we wish to continue," Kakashi paused, thinking his words through. "Wave country is lost without the shadow of a doubt. If this bridge does not get completed within the month the entire country's hopes will die long before its people will."

"Do we truly have a right to interfere? The mission was over when you took Tazuna the bridge builder back to Wave. There is no more reason to stay here if that is truly the case."

Naruto paused at his last tirade and managed to glance at the other man, saying "it was Sasuke-san wasn't it?" Kakashi had to nod. "I think he feels he's responsible for the death of that Rokubungi kid," the jounin admitted. "It's not going to be easy to convince him that there's no shame in not completing this mission."

"Especially when he believes his honor is on the line."

"Damn Fugaku-san and his demented visions of greatness for the clan," Naruto cursed out loud, forgetting in his lapse to use the silent hand-talk. He recovered almost immediately, saying "Sorry, I didn't know what came over me—"

"It's alright," Kakashi replied. "I never liked the stuffy bastard either. As a matter of fact, there are only three Uchiha who ever lived that I'd been able to tolerate, and one of them isn't even living anymore."

"What about Uchiha Mikoto?"

"She wasn't born an Uchiha. If she was, Sasuke and Itachi would have been born one-eyed quintapeds."

Both of them shuddered.

"So," Naruto said, shaking the image from his mind. "What's the plan then?"

Kakashi paused to think. "Zabuza will most likely come after us again," he said. "He'll probably get a dressing down for losing two of his own chuunin before he decides to come after me himself. Sasuke and Sakura he won't touch because he feels them beneath their attention, but he will come after Tazuna in an attempt to get me."

"Entrapment then?"

"Exactly."

Until morning, the two ninja hammered out their strategy underneath the pale moonlight. There would only be one shot, and they had to make it count.

xxxxxxx

_Meanwhile…_

_Gatou Corp Headquarters, Wave Country_

In a padded couch in an office reception area, the Demon of the Mist reclined with his massive sword resting on an upholstered leather ottoman. His ward was standing to his right, effeminate features framing a gaze as cold as his master's.

Gatou stared at his two best "employees," freelance in every sense of the word. The trouble with ninja was that they were too confident of their power, that they think just because they mastered the arcane arts that there was no other way to have them put down. If the ruthless businessman hadn't wanted to keep his face impassive for this occasion he would have snorted in amusement.

"What have you to say for yourself now, Demon of the Mist?" the businessman lit up a cigar from Tea Country, relishing the blue smoke that wafted through the room. "For all that trouble your pathetic team managed to kill a twelve year old. A pathetically weak twelve year old at that. And after all that you hadn't even managed to wound that Hatake Kakashi." Zabuza's brows furrowed, though he kept his eyes closed.

"The bastard got his chakra drained because of me."

"And he'll be back on his feet in a few days with you two _chuunin_ down," Gatou countered. "Why didn't you take that time to do something useful? Like kill that annoying pest Tazuna instead?"

Haku tenses for half a second before his iron resolve calms the anger in his stance. The former Mist ninja still hadn't let go of the deadly senbon needles in his sleeves though…

Zabuza himself was not feeling any different. Gatou was generous with his money, even if he was mostly an idiot with everything else. He'll milk this whining little pig for every single Ryou he has before he finally kills him. Until then, the rat bastard would have to continue living, he supposed.

"Look at me when I'm talking to you," Gatou snarled, reaching out a hand to touch the Demon of the Mist when suddenly he was face down on the floor with a massive stretch of pain arcing down his arm. "You will not touch Zabuza-sama with your dirty hands!" Haku seethed, twisting the said appendage and hearing the satisfying crack of a dislocated shoulder.

"Haku, that's enough."

As quickly as it had come the fierce expression left the effeminate nin's face as he walked away from the prone smuggler on the floor. "You are fortunate Zabuza-sama still allows you to live," Haku said, stopping at the door to glance at their employer. "Attempt to touch him again and even his words will not stay my hand, dog."

A small contingent of samurai rushed in through a back door upon the exit of the Mist ninja, two of them helping their master to his feet. Gatou winced at the pain of his dislocated shoulder, muttering oaths under his breath.

"When Tazuna's dead," he gasped. "The Demon and his boy die too."

xxxxxxx

Author's note:

Wow. Two thousand hits the first week. I'd have to say I never expected this much of a response from this fic when I decided I'd be rewriting it. Makes me almost regret the fact that I junked the original. Or not.(",)

In any case there's at least three more chapters done by the time this hits the ff dot net page, and hopefully by then I'd have written something resembling the arcs I'd been working on in the original CBM series.

This time though I decided to forgo a cold, emotionless Naruto for one who's a bit more world weary but not losing his sense of fun. It's a gamble, I know, since a lot of the original readers of Cold Blue Metal actually liked cold, emotionless Naruto. Still, I hope this version doesn't disappoint.

Oh yes. If any of you had been paying attention to my author's page, you'd notice that I'm looking for a beta. Yes! It's true! I actually want my chapters to make more sense to people other than me. Send me an email if you're interested, and if possible can anyone point out how to use the fanfiction dot net beta system to me? It wasn't there the last time I'd posted a chapter (which just goes to show how long I'd been on hiatus, doesn't it?).

Anyway, I have three people looking to nab the job of beta. Thanks to Riyoku-kun, matt-ness the manly and Chinese donut for their interest. I'll be sending you chapters right after I finish the one I'm working on now. Yes, this one is not beta'd, so don't blame me for any mistakes, mmkay?

Usual drill, read and review please!


	3. Chapter Two: Demons of Mist and Leaf

**Chapter Two: Demons of Mist and Leaf**

"Itachi-san, a word if you will?"

The captain of ANBU squad 15 paused in the middle of the hallway and turned to see Councilman Danzou striding towards him. The elderly former ninja had a _chuunin_-level ANBU keeping pace behind him, possibly to add some sort of psychological intimidation factor in his approach.

"Danzou-san."

"Walk with me Itachi-san. We have much to discuss."

The odd trio walked the halls in silence, heading in the direction of Danzou's office. Every few moments the old man's assistant (for that was how Itachi thought of him) handed over a scroll which was perused with barely any interest before being returned with a barked command. It was interesting to note how the old man dealt with paperwork even on the run, but right now this was not to be Uchiha Itachi's most pressing concern.

"Have you given any thought to enrolling Uzumaki-kun in the accelerated program yet?"

"My answer is the same."

"Oh come now Itachi," Danzou countered, dispensing with the honorifics in an attempt to be more familiar. "Surely you see the boy's potential wasting away on these kinds of missions. A ninja like that should be groomed so as to make him the best he will ever be."

"His performance is good enough," Itachi said, not even bothering to rise to the bait. The bastards from ROOT had wanted to get their grubby paws on his subordinate for years, so this kind of proposition would only be one in half a dozen average he would endure throughout the week. It was a small bit of routine. Annoying, yes, but something one gets used to quickly.

"Are you really satisfied with good enough?"

"Yes."

Danzou smiled, not even expecting the young heir to budge. It was a minor point, but it never hurt to try. "Very well then," he said, switching gears. "Step inside my office for a moment and we'll discuss why I even approached you today."

A scroll was shoved into Itachi's hands. "This is a description of troop movements from nearby Suna," the _chuunin_ said. "They seem to be moving in small squads to our borders. A troop of _jounin_ here, a squad of _chuunin_ there. All seemingly to project the illusion of scattered long term missions." The admin _chuunin_ pointed out these places on a map illustrated in the same scroll, one after the other.

"Now, mind you, there's precedent for that kind of behavior in any major ninja village to earn its income," Danzou pointed out. "But for the forces to be concentrated mainly on select areas of River Country and Tea Country? And at the rate the teams are moving? I think not."

"We have reason to believe a small, close knit clan of ninja called the Fuuma are also aiding them," the nondescript _chuunin_ said. "It may be an unimportant detail as of now but informants stress the importance of their having access to a superior steel mine all the way in Rice Field Country, and thus this also makes them a threat."

"Now you may be wondering what this has to do with Konoha as a whole," Danzou said, gesturing emphatically with one hand. "I would too. While it might be paranoia to believe Suna is currently massing its forces along key points along our borders, the involvement of a very specific person who was a key individual behind several incidents in Konoha history may prove that it's not."

"Who is it then?"

"The third member of the _Densetsu no Sannin_," the chuunin explained. "A man named Orochimaru."

Itachi kept his face impassive, which earned him a few more points in Danzou's eyes. "Why has this report not been given to the Hokage then?" the Uchiha asked, his eyes watching his counterpart's single one very carefully.

Danzou's face was completely unreadable.

"Think carefully, Uchiha," the old man said. "The Hokage is the man's sensei. He has no reason to believe the traitor's even still alive after all these years, let alone give any attention to reports he's leading what may be a massive strike force against Konoha. We cannot risk him being soft on Orochimaru like he did the last time."

"With all due respect sir," Itachi vocalized, keeping his voice level. "What is it you actually want me to do?"

"I need your squad to lead some information gathering missions on the troop movement," Danzou explained. "Possibly leave one or two teams in the village to see if they have any Sleepers planted and root them out as soon as possible."

"With the _chuunin_ exams coming up that doesn't leave us with a whole lot of security in the premises," Itachi said. "That means work for the reserve squads."

"The reserve squads are trained for this kind of possibility, you know that," came Danzou's counter

Itachi leaned back, looking as relaxed as an Uchiha could possibly be. Three active squads in ANBU Special Tactics, squad 15, 14 and 13, the 13th being the alumni from the recently disbanded ROOT program. It also didn't help that ROOT had a lot of graduates in the reserves as well.

_So what is your game, old man?_

"I have a better solution," Itachi said, speaking after a minute long silence. "Send ANBU Reconnaissance Squads 16 and 17. They already have resources in both River and Rice Field. Squad 15 will send an hunter team over to Tea Country to evaluate possible risks there. It would be unlikely that Suna would move troops over water if that were their intention, as it's all too easy to trace which merchant ships," he continued, referring to an obscure trade agreement made with Konoha some years before.

_Well played Itachi-kun. Well played indeed_. Subtle but with a calculated amount of arrogance. Recon squads were designated hunter teams with diplomatic immunity on the pretext that they need to capture rogue ninja from Konoha that have not yet been given political asylum in neighboring villages. A single squad of those usually needs no more backup, but to send two and leave most of the forces loyal to the Hokage within their borders…

"Shall I draw up the paperwork for the Hokage to sign?"

"Yes, please do that Itachi-san. I do apologize for the trouble I caused you on my behalf."

"No trouble at all sir," the younger man drawled, excusing himself to leave.

Itachi waited a full twenty minutes upon reaching his office before he called for his lieutentant. "Send for Uzuki-san in the 22nd squad," he said. "Make sure she keeps her team on high alert during the days before the _chuunin_ exams themselves and right after."

"Tell her to make sure to keep an eye on the ROOT alumni as well. They're up to something and time will tell exactly what."

"Hai, Uchiha-_taicho_."

A flicker of leaves was the only telltale of the lieutenant's departure.

xxxxx

The forest surrounding Tazuna's residence was dotted with identical-looking blondes. Naruto suggested that he remain behind during the day Zabuza was estimated to have recovered enough to make a second strike, Team 7 remaining at the bridge with the client himself, and Uzumaki Naruto bringing up the rear as support.

There were at least forty clones created that morning, half of them the chakra-draining _kage bunshin_, half being elemental clones. The blond's self-created army covered an area of nearly two square kilometers, covering all the routes that samurai might use or the trees where the ninja might want to roost. Once a hostile was identified, the _kage bunshin_ would dispel itself and pass on knowledge to the rest of the non-elemental clones, including the original.

It was almost a chakra powered version of radar that Naruto had learned to use during solo missions, and the resulting support from his selves meant that he didn't really need a lot of backup. He still had the sense to tail Kakashi-san's troop with a shadow clone though, just to keep him informed. Which left him all but unattended and seeing to a modest (but very filling) breakfast care of Tazuna's daughter.

And her annoying little brat.

"You can't win you know," Inari glared at him balefully, watching the older boy try to eat without taking off his half mask. "Gatou will kill your friends and you too if you try to do anything."

"Such a delightful little boy you are!" Naruto said, his smiling eyes betraying the fact that he's actually gritting his teeth underneath his mask. This was precisely why he hated kids. They're annoying and you get in so much trouble if you slap them around a bit. He reached his hand to ruffle the boy's hair, and possibly use a small burst of chakra to compel the boy to walk away and _leave him the hell alone_.

The brat swatted his hand away. "This is all useless," Inari continued, intensifying his glare. "You'll all die and nothing will have changed!"

_Fine_, Naruto thought to himself as he frowned. _Be that way._

"So what's it to you then if I live or die?" the feral-eyed blond began conversationally. "I'm sure you don't even want me here. So why bother try discouraging me?"

"Because I don't like people like you!" Inari practically shouted. "You people make the most impossible promises, saying you'd fight to protect but you never keep them!"

Naruto said nothing, only focusing his crimson gaze upon the boy as he continued to rant. "You should just admit your own weaknesses and back out when you can and not let people get their hopes up like you do! I hate you and all your kind, you bastard!" Inari yelled, leaving the kitchen area in a huff.

_Oh. One of those,_ Naruto sighed to himself, reaching for a mug of tea placed before him. War orphans were almost always the biggest head cases there were. Second to people in ANBU anyway, though one might argue that a war orphan _in_ ANBU would be an even bigger head case. He shook his head to clear it off random thoughts and was about to take a sip of some tea when Tsunami's presence registered in the periphery of his vision.

"I'm sorry," the young mother apologized. "He's been like that since his father died."

"Figured as much," countered the blond. "Let me guess, his father was one of the few who chose to oppose that fat gangster in the beginning huh?"

"Why yes. How did you—"

"I have a very encyclopedic knowledge of what its like to be a war orphan, Tsunami-san," Naruto cut in. "Their lives are never as pleasant, and most of them grow up to be head cases like your adorable little boy or vengeance-lusting avengers of the worst sort. Nothing'll ever be simple for the kid until he grows a spine."

Flinching slightly at the blond's harsh words, Tsunami held her tongue when he started reaching for the hilt of his sword. "Stay here with the kid ma'am," the blond said, drawing his weapon. "I don't think our visitors are here for tea and crumpets."

Outside, a quartet of samurai mercenaries walk from their hiding place in the shadows.

xxxxx

"What is this then Kakashi?" Zabuza taunted. "The final confrontation?"

The son of the White Fang gimaced under his half mask. He couldn't leave his opponent alone for a second and not risk him going after Sakura and the old man. Sasuke with his premature Sharingan isn't going to last much longer with that _Hyouton_ user's barrage of _senbon _needles, with his meager chakra reserves.

He needed to finish this and finish this now.

"Hatake-_Taicho_ sir!"

Kakashi kept his gaze on his opponent but kept an open ear to the masked blond directly behind him. "Shinobi-san," he grimaced. "Weren't you supposed to guard Tazuna's family today?"

"I am sir," came the response. "_Kage Bunshin_ number 25 reporting for duty sir!"

A shadow clone, Kakashi realized immediately the implications of that sort of fact. "25," he barked. "Dispel yourself and have Shinobi-san absorb your memories. We need reinforcements and we need them now!"

"Affirmative sir!" came the reply, a salute snapping up crisply. "Dispelling now."

BAMF

"Reinforcements will be here in twenty minutes!" Kakashi yelled to his team. "Hold your positions until the end of that time limit. We're about to even the odds in our favor."

"Hai, sensei!" Sakura replied, tightening her grip on her _kunai_ and taking a more protective stance over the bridge builder. Sasuke, who was trapped in a circle of hovering mirrors, only grunted in response.

"It appears you have friends who have come to aid you," the fake Hunter Ninja said from inside one of the numerous mirrors. "Unfortunately I cannot allow any more people to aid the fight against Zabuza-sama. You must therefore die, little Uchiha."

Sasuke's mismatched Sharingan widened as a thousand razor-sharp needles began raining from the mirrors. He drew a second _kunai_ from his pouch and started swinging, deflecting what he could and making sure the remaining ones only hit non-vital areas. After the fifth barrage, his arms could barely move.

After the sixth, he dropped to a single knee.

The seventh approached in the slow motion perspective of his bloodline-enhanced eyes, and as they were about to hit…

He found a solid wall of water collapsing around him.

"Sasuke-san, are you all right?"

He opened his eyes and was almost startled enough to deactivate his bloodline. A group of five clones surrounded him, all of them holding identical weapons, a straight edge _chokuto_. The clone in front of him had the same feral red eyes as the reinforcement ninja from Konoha.

"I think so," the boy managed. "How did you get here so quickly?"

"Shinobi-_taicho_ sent out whole patrols of elemental and shadow clones to tail Kakashi-taicho's squad," came the explanation. "There are approximately fifty eight clones remaining, after the three that expired when they took the _senbon _meant for you."

Sasuke turned to see his kunoichi teammate being surrounded by another troop of identical ninja, one of them conversing with her casually while the other six held their weapons out protectively. He himself was surrounded by eight, elemental clones interspersed with shadow ones as near as his underdeveloped bloodline could tell. The one crouching down assisted him in getting up, wincing as he felt the _senbon _needles shift with the unexpected movement. Then, an odd thought crossed his mind.

"Why aren't there any clones guarding Kakashi-sensei?"

"He can take care of himself, Sasuke-san."

And he apparently could, parrying the monstrous _zanbatou_ with only a _kunai_, lashing out with any strikes he could manage once his opponent was within range. The legend was sneered upon by members of his clan, the Copy Ninja was called the bloodline thief. But he never really began to appreciate the power behind Konoha's elite _jounin_ before this moment.

Was this the power of a _jounin_?

Was this _niisan_'s power?

Sasuke flinched as he heard a clang of metal close to his head, a _chokuto_-wielding clone had flicked off a surprise attack from one of the mirrors. The other clones surrounded him protectively, taking up defensive stances with their edged weapon.

The clones surrounding Sakura also started dropping into similarly defensive stances, with the intent to kill anyone and anything that came within their attack radius. Tazuna could only look on in shock at the number of hostile chakra constructs protecting all three of them.

"Sasuke-san," the clone said to break the silence. "We will need to extract you from this location with a _shunshin_. Clone squads 3 and 4 will be waiting near the trees to help you flee from this location should you choose. You've exhausted your chakra and will only be 25% combat effective. Please allow us to extract you."

There was a similar conversation with the clones and Sakura. The girl apparently agreed wholeheartedly, and a flicker of leaves marked her and the client's departure.

Sasuke glared at the clone who had a strange look of concern in his eyes. "We don't have much time sir," the clone said. "The fake hunter already proved he was fast enough to dispose of three elemental clones, and while those were only a tenth the speed of the original, it would be more worrisome to realize there are only three remaining shadow clones in this specific unit. None of us would be fast enough to deflect the strikes should us three be dispelled."

The young Uchiha shook his head. "No," he said. "A clone will make him dispel his mirrors and chase after us. It won't help Sakura and the old man if we ran from here and they get chased instead. We need to be here where he has a target so he won't leave."

"Affirmative," the clone said, tilting his head. "But what do we do about—"

A flying needle cut of the clone's words, dispelling it and two others in a shower of smoke and water. "It's not polite to ignore an opponent during battle," came the voice of the masked ninja from inside one of the mirrors. "Do you really think these clones can protect you? Four clones against two dozen mirrors, each one of them capable of firing a needle through the air and into a single clone. It's a simple matter to pick off your bodyguards one at a time, Uchiha."

Sasuke grimaced as he stood, gripping a chipped _kunai_ in his barely functioning left hand. "We can't run," he said. "We have to hold him in place until that nameless bastard gets here."

The remaining clones understood. "Affirmative, Sasuke-san," one of them said. "Estimated arrival time of Shinobi-taicho is 14 minutes 22 seconds. We only need to hold out until then."

The group of four gripped their weapons and watched the mirrors for the oncoming assault.

xxxxx

Naruto blinked as a dispelled clone's memories flooded into his mind. Four samurai intent on taking Tsunami or Inari as a hostage were lying on the ground, in varying states of dismemberment. The blond swung his sword, shaking of the blood and gore in one move, leaving the edge of his weapon pristine again.

"Tsunami-san," he called to the residents of the house. "I'm needed by Kakashi-san. If you have any neighbors nearby, please go and hide out at another house. I will be sending a clone to watch over you as well."

The young mother peaked from behind the locked door and paled. The blond was covered in blood, his slitted red eyes peeking out from under a layer of gore. "Y-yes," she finally managed, running inside to grab her boy and leave by the back door. No one so young should witness the scene in the front yard.

Even if a boy barely older than Inari-chan himself caused it.

The second dispelling clone's memories caught Naruto by surprise. The ANBU special operative wasted no time, breaking into a full sprint as he ran into the trees. Sasuke remained behind to hold down a fake hunter nin it seemed, Sakura was already extracted from the location, as was the client. Forming a quick seal, he created one other shadow clone who kept pace with him, told him of a change of plans and said to lead Tazuna and the girl to one of the other houses close by.

Dispelling the clone, he drew his sword and leapt through the branches, pushing his chakra through his legs hard enough to cause the branches he leapt on to explode as he made contact, propelling him even faster.

_A fake _Kiri_ hunter huh_? He said to himself absently. _Seems like it'll be interesting enough_. With those words he patted down a seal sown into the lining of his coat, something he'd earned when he graduated the special ANBU course.

A quick slice across his right thumb with his blade drew blood, which was then used to unseal the item: a porcelain mask depicting a grinning fox.

xxxxxxxx

A/N: Sorry about the late updates. I lost the chapters when I was walking through the Road of Life.

Seriously people, I was just caught up with work and didn't have a lot of time to review the betas. Tech support and graveyard shifts and the difficulty of sleeping in the daytime does that to a person. Oddly enough there are five finished chapters already, I just never got the time to bother with making the changes the betas made.

Yes, you read that right. There are betas for this story now! Many thanks to charmcharm and khellanrafe who proofread the chapter. I think both of them still have beta'd chapters in my hands that need to be applied to the next update but I may have time to post that tomorrow.

Thank you for your patience!


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